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C of I student Seth Raver lands NASA internship

Mon, May 12, 2014

On May 30, College of Idaho junior Seth Raver will fly to Virginia to begin his summer internship with NASA. Yes, that NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – the agency responsible for the United States’ civilian space program and aerospace research.

“It seemed so outlandish,” Raver said of working at NASA. “I almost didn’t even apply.”

Raver, who aspires to a career in engineering, will spend 10 weeks working on programming and testing turbulence models alongside two NASA mentors in Virginia. He hopes to use the experience to point him in the right direction for a career or graduate school after graduation next spring.

The math-physics major from nearby Kuna opened rejection letters from several organizations before landing his dream internship. When the acceptance letter arrived, Raver celebrated with his younger sister and two very proud parents.

The process of making the NASA internship a reality started before the school year even began. Determined to gain some professional experience in his field this summer, Raver contacted the College’s Center for Experiential Learning. He has been working closely with CEL Director Kim Franklin ever since.

“Seth is a go-getter,” Franklin said. “He knew what he was looking for and came very prepared to work hard for it.”

The CEL office is a vital resource for students looking to gain professional experience during and after college. Franklin and the CEL team assist students in drafting resumes and other professional documents, filling out job applications, determining the best fit for majors and minors, and securing meaningful internships. In a general sense, Franklin strives to help students answer the “What Next?” question – no matter what “next” is.

“That’s part of the reason I came [to the C of I],” Raver said. “There are people here who are motivated to help you work toward something rather than just treating you like a number.”

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another 12 Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.